Irish singer Lisa Hannigan sounds a little over the subject of Damien Rice, her friend and former collaborator. The prickly Irish troubadour known for his stinging, original songs and equally stinging temperament summarily fired her early last year just minutes before the pair were to take the stage in Munich, Germany. Mention the moment, and, no surprise, Hannigan's natural chirpiness takes a hit. "Yeah, he just told me that was the case. Yeah . . .

Irish singer Lisa Hannigan sounds a little over the subject of Damien Rice, her friend and former collaborator. The prickly Irish troubadour known for his stinging, original songs and equally stinging temperament summarily fired her early last year just minutes before the pair were to take the stage in Munich, Germany. Mention the moment, and, no surprise, Hannigan's natural chirpiness takes a hit. "Yeah, he just told me that was the case. Yeah . . .

In his Los Angeles debut at Largo, Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice didn't trot out the opera singer who pushes his remarkable 2002 debut album, "O," into over-the-top glory. The buzz surrounding the show -- fueled by support for the album, which won't be released in the U.S. until May, from KCRW-FM (89.9) -- and Rice's unfettered poetic romanticism gave the night near-operatic dynamic aplenty, albeit in a distinctively shambling sort of way.

Josh Groban "Awake" (143/Reprise) * * THE kid from Hancock Park has reached his mid-20s, yet on his third studio album (in stores Tuesday), he seems stuck between boy and man, pop performer and classical artist, hopeless romantic and concerned citizen of the world. The 13 songs yearn for connection or strive toward awareness.

Damien Rice continues the line of Irish sensualists that runs from William Butler Yeats through Van Morrison. But it's a safe bet that Yeats never performed wearing a sparkly red Lucha Libre mask. Rice -- having received that item as a birthday present on Thursday -- did in fact don the disguise for the third number of his show Friday at the Orpheum Theatre, his first of two nights at the lovely deco downtown house.

Last year, the venerated jazz pianist Herbie Hancock released "Possibilities," an album of eclectic, headline-grabbing collaborations with artists like Christina Aguilera and John Mayer that was quickly forgotten by anyone who doesn't buy their music at Starbucks. To help us remember, directors Doug Biro and Jon Fine have cut together "Herbie Hancock: Possibilities," a documentary about the studio sessions that feels more like a behind-the-scenes CD promo than a fully realized film.